By Staff Reporter
11/01/2016
City condemns adding of the old
The City of Tshwane has condemned the adding of the old Church Street name signage to the name plates of WF Nkomo, Stanza Bopape and Helen Joseph Streets. The City said the old street names were allegedly added by a group of students from AfriForum Youth on 10 January 2016.
Afriforum confirmed in a statement that a group of students from AfriForum Youth assumed responsibility for replacing the signage for WF Nkomo, Stanza Bopape and Helen Joseph Streets with Church Street signage.
The organisation maintains that the Tshwane Metro Council followed the wrong procedure by changing names and that their actions had been illegal.
The City said in a statement that the action was intended at inciting anger and agitation at people who continue to feel strongly about the prominence of colonial symbols, architecture, cultural installations in public spaces, and the continued social economic inequalities between racial groups in South Africa.
“We regard this recent demonstration as yet another racist attack on our national democratisation and nation building efforts and a desperate attempt by the minority group to re-instil the spirit of a ‘swart gevaar’ and perpetuate a lie that the Afrikaner community is under threat of extinction as a result of the actions of black led non-Afrikaners government.
“Whilst the court process remain within their rights, the recent action to reverse the entire naming process by all costs and maintain the ugly veil and identity of apartheid South Africa, fits squarely within the current re-emergence of anti-black racism and fascism in South Africa – an evil all South Africans must fight” said Executive Mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa.
He said the City regret that despite the police apprehending the perpetrators, they were later released without any charges nor docket being opened against them. The City has consequently decided that it will once again approach the South Africa Police Services in Sunnyside to lay charges of damage to property, vandalism, violation of a high court order amongst others allegedly against the leadership of the AfriForum youth.
“We remain within our rights not to reinstate the old names until we have exhausted all remedies at our disposal, and until such , the AfriForum can continue to wish for a return to the past, an idea we are certain we will defeat at the supreme court of appeal” Ramokgopa added.
The City of Tshwane remains of the conviction that the new names reflects the rich and diverse cultural, natural resource, religious, ethnic and historical heritage of the City.
The Mayor called upon youth, communities and progressive citizens to disengage from such malicious campaigns and rather continue to engage constructively in the rebuilding of a South Africa which belongs to all.
Mayor Ramokgopa said the City will continue to foster nation building and social cohesion amongst youth and ensure that developmental initiatives are aimed and bridging the racial divide in the City.
He said during the month of April at the occasion of the 2016 State of the Capital Address, he will unveil a month long programme to mark the 40th Anniversary of the 1976 June 16 uprising focused on economic development and national unity.